Dakuku Peterside, Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has stressed the importance of human factors to successful shipping.

He stated that it was one of the most important elements in achieving competitive edge and safety in the maritime industry.

Dakuku made this known while addressing participants at the Business Africa meeting at the 107th session of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference in Geneva, Switzerland where consideration for the review of Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 would be made.

Peterside, who noted that the industry must partner with workers to develop a strategy that will contribute to the constant development of human resources in the sector, said that investment in workforce was a sure way to guarantee success of firms and boost profitability.

According to him, “employees are the most critical factor that determines the success of a firm, this is even truer in the maritime industry that is capital intensive and where safety is paramount”.

He urged African businessmen to pay attention to welfare of workers in order to be able to compete favourably in the international market, adding that the maritime industry in particular could play greater role in the economic growth of third world countries if the right investment is made in the sector.